Warriors Challenges
by CeruleanNinja
Summary: A series of writing challenges I've been assigned with for the forum, The Clans Of Darkness.
1. Russetpaw's Catastrophe

The night was cold.

It was dark and lonely, and the only things that could be heard was the howling of the wind hitting the rocks and the low hooting of an owl in the distance. The moonlight swept unfiltered through the camp, dim and illuminating the ground, which was hard from moons of continuously being treaded on.

The night was long.

It stretched on, and if it had not been for the many times that she had woken up to toss herself over, Russetpaw would not have even noticed. Russetpaw woke up slowly for the tenth time it felt, yawning and stretching. She stood up and shivered, then lay back down and curled into a tight ball. She sat up again, ears alert. She felt the absence of a warm body next to her own and this concerned her. Where was Riverpaw?

She reluctantly padded out of the warmth of her den and into the chilled clearing in search of her littermate. She found the small tom crouched in the moonlight by the even smaller stream that ran along the rocks encasing the camp. He sat in one of the ditches they used to keep the water from flooding the camp when it rained.

"Riverpaw," she called, drawing out his name sleepily. "What're you doing out here alone? We should be sleeping."

He didn't look up, but stared at the water pooling around his feet.

"Your feet are getting all wet, let's go back to our den," she said, nudging him with her side.

Finally, he looked up. Russetpaw shivered, but not from the obvious cold surrounding them both. She shivered from the cold resonating within his blue eyes. He looked worried, but also dazed and unfocused. The only thing she could use to describe the look in his eyes wholly was 'starry.'

She almost jumped when he started to speak; he had been staring at her for so long. "Russetpaw," he said softly. "Something bad is coming. Something horrible. It's a...a..."

Russetpaw swallowed. "A what?"

"A _catastrophe_."

He looked back at the water.

"I know it….I saw it in the sky."

"In the sky? But you're staring at the ground, Riverpaw." Russetpaw sat down next to him. Clearly he wasn't going to escape to the warmth of their den any time soon.

"All the water in the world is connected. Even the water in the sky," he said even quieter.

Russetpaw looked bewildered. She raised her head to the stars, trying to see if it was raining. It had rained the previous night, causing most of the territory to be reduced to mud, but it hadn't since. "Water in the sky?" she shook her head. "N-Nevermind. Riverpaw, what was it about this catastrophe that was coming?"

Riverpaw sneezed. He stood up and stretched, looking over at Russetpaw sleepily. "What catastrophe?" he asked in a bored tone. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Russetpaw blinked. "Y-Yes, but you were just-!"

He bumped her in the side with his haunches as he made his way to the apprentice den.. Causing her to lose her balance and nearly fall over. "C'mon, let's go back to sleep."

She looked confused. "But! Oh, alright," she said grumpily. She ran up to walk besides him. "But if this gets us all killed, it's your fault for not telling me." He ducked his head into the stone of the den and flicked his tail, motioning her to follow him. She ducked her head too, but her foot caught in a wound vine that had been creeping down the stone entrance for weeks now. She shook her leg in an attempt to throw it off, but it stuck hard to her. She reached down and took the vine between her teeth, then pulled on it _hard_. It released her foot, but the vine has been attached to a huge pile of vines entangling a mound of dirt. But, since it had been raining, the mound was softer and more dense, and as she pulled on the vine the whole thing came tumbling down.

"Aah!"

The mound of earth hit her squarely on her back, knocking her to the ground and splattering her with mud. She stood up after a dazed moment and shook the cold weight off her shoulders. Her once soft, red and brown fur was now wet and dripping with discolored muck and twisting vines.

"Ah! This is...This is a-" She felt too horrified to even finish speaking. She grimaced at her fur, thinking about how long this would take to wash out until she heard laughter.

"A catastrophe?" Riverpaw laughed out, finishing her sentence. He rolled on the ground outside the apprentice's den, shaking with laughter.

Russetpaw squinted her eyes and swished her tail irritably on the ground. "I guess-hey! Did you know this was going to happen?" she asked, but he was giggling his way into the den.

She chased after him, growling lightly. "Hey! Riverpaw! Answer me!"

Any previous worry was gone. If that was the only horrible catastrophe that was going to occur, then the two apprentices would sleep peacefully tonight.


	2. Dewpaw's Mission

**A/N: This was kind of fun to write, but I wanted to wrap it up a little faster than the last one.**

The sky was clear. Everything in the forest was defined in a shimmering, bright light, and the only darkness was the slight shade from the trees. Dewpaw sat on a low, smooth rock, staring out over the forest floor, which was covered in pine needles and acorns.

She was on a mission.

Her mentor, Riverstem, almost didn't believe Dewpaw would make a good warrior. Dewpaw knew this, not because her mentor had told her, but because of the looks Riverstem had given her every time she had messed up on something like hunting or stalking. Which was quite often. So now, the apprentice had left the camp on her own, determined to bring back more prey than she could carry.

The young cat leaped down from the rock, stumbling a bit on the ground, and darted behind a tall pine. She had spotted a mouse under the pine needles, and it had already caught Dewpaw's scent. Dewpaw cursed herself, now realizing she had been downwind from the small creature. It lifted it's furry head and sniffed, it's whiskers quivering at the new scent. Dewpaw remained silent; perhaps it would think she had left.

After a few still heartbeats, the mouse went back to scurrying along the grass. Dewpaw exhaled slowly and stepped out from behind the tree, crouching low and silently. _Easy does it now…_ she thought as she crept closer. Her paws barely made contact with the ground and her eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring. She could almost hear the tiny creature's heart sprinting in it's chest. Dewpaw lifted her haunches just a little more and stopped moving, bracing herself to pounce. Almost there...just one more step…

"Dewpaw!"

"Ah!"

Dewpaw felt herself tip, the voice causing her to lose focus and balance. She watched as the mouse tore itself away, terrified for it's life. She steadied herself with a groan and turned to see her mentor bounding through the great pine trees. Her mentor looked graceful in the way she ran, her eyes big and blue and her fur as black as the night sky and bristling. She ran like the horse Dewpaw had once seen on a distant farm, but she moved like a liquid shadow.

Riverstem stopped in front of Dewpaw, trying to catch her breath. "Why did you run off without a warrior with you?!" she half-scolded, half-gasped. "I've been running around the territory looking for you! I lost your scent trail by the camp entrance!"

Dewpaw sighed and stared at her paws. "I know, I know. I tried to cover up my trail so you wouldn't find me until I caught at _least_ a mouse," she said. She glanced sadly at the patch of green grass that the mouse had previously been scuttling around in.

Riverstem blinked at her. "You covered your trail up?"

Dewpaw nodded in embarrassment. "I did. I just wanted a bit of time to try hunting on my own before you found me."

Riverstem stared at her apprentice. "And?"

"And what?"

"Did you catch something?"

Dewpaw shifted her paws. "No...but I was about to!" she said indignantly.

"Why did you want to come out here yourself, I could have helped," Riverstem asked, tilting her head and flicking her tail.

"That's the reason I never asked for help. I want to be able to do this on my own! I've already been an apprentice for four _moons_ , and I can't even catch a proper squirrel."

Riverstem laughed. "Well, covering your trail so even a warrior had a hard time finding you is quite the feat. I was even watching your stance when you were hunting, very nice," she said softly.

Dewpaw looked up in bemusement. "Wait...really?"

"Yes," Riverstem said, and Dewpaw believed her. "Do you know how old I was when I caught my first squirrel? Six moons. It was the day before my warrior ceremony."

"Whoa, really?"

"Yes, and my mentor had always scolded me on my stance and timing. Even a warrior has to learn new things, it doesn't just happen over night, or even a moon."

Dewpaw sat there, feeling silly. She had always thought you had to know how to do everything properly, or you wouldn't get a warrior name.

"Dewpaw, being a warrior is so much more than just being good at hunting and fighting. You have a territory to care for and a clan to protect. Everyone still has something to learn in this world," Riverstem finished. She swept her tail along the ground and then playfully cuffed her apprentice on the ear. "Come on, let's go back to camp. I'm sure you can learn something new, even if you don't leave the camp."

But Dewpaw had learned something new. Even if she lived her whole life and never caught a mouse or a vole, she had given her clan something more important to remember.

A life.


	3. Russetpaw's Not The Only One

The moon shone down through the camp, defining Russetpaw's anxiety ridden face. The night sky was ablaze with stars, but they were dim, reflecting her feelings about their new leader. She growled lowly under her breath. "This isn't good, this isn't good," she murmured to herself. She stood in the center of Thunderclan camp, surrounded by the warm bodies of her clanmates. They were all staring at their leader, chanting his new name.

"Tornstar! Tornstar!"

Russetpaw crept slowly out from amidst the scarred warriors and worried queens, and led herself to the crack of the medicine den. A large, grey figure stood just inside, speaking with Minnowpelt, the medicine cat. It was Stonebrook, her half-brother. Minnowpelt raised her head towards Russetpaw's dark figure, eyes glistening, but Stonebrook didn't notice her entry.

"I don't understand, why didn't you watch the ceremony? You're the medicine cat," Stonebrook said. He stood proudly, now feeling more than his importance since his warrior ceremony just weeks ago.

Minnowpelt lowered her head sadly. "I don't...believe that this is right. I never saw Tornbelly as a fit warrior since his major injury, but his ideals have grown darker. I fear for our clan." She gazed into the darkened distance.

"You might be tried for treason, if you believe that," he hissed. Ever since Minnowpelt had denied taking Stonebrook as her apprentice, but instead took his half-brother Dewpaw, he had been more snappy and irritable.

"Stonebrook, that's enough," Russetpaw's low voice cut in. She strolled over and glared at him, as if daring him to speak his mind again. Twice, her brother's mouth opened and closed, but finally it shut, and he turned tail and left the den. Russetpaw turned back to Minnowpelt. "Does he keep causing you trouble?"

"Less than it's worth to talk about," she said quietly, and Russetpaw frowned at that. "Did you enjoy the ceremony?" she asked. "Heatherstar definitely deserves to retire now."

Russetpaw shook her head. "Not in the slightest. I don't believe Tornbelly was the right cat to choose for a leader. He's….unpredictable. And untrustworthy. Don't you feel the same?"

Minnowpelt nodded. "I do, but what can be done? He'll make the trip to the moonstone to receive his nine lives in a few days."

"But if you think he shouldn't be the cat that leads us, couldn't you do something about it?" Russetpaw asked warily.

Minnowpelt grit her teeth, then spoke softly, "I have no place to directly intervene. I can only guide and help the clan when I'm needed."

"Tornbelly-"

"Tornstar," Minnowpelt softly corrected.

"-is going to hurt this clan, and you're not doing anything?" Russetpaw said in disbelief, ignoring the interruption.

Minnowpelt didn't answer.

The two she-cats stared at each other for a tense moment. Russetpaw stared into the medicine cat's blue eyes, feeling a sense of desperation coming from her. "Fine," Russetpaw stated firmly after a few moments. "Then I'll find someone who will."

She left the statement to soak in, and she left the den, fur bristling with barely contained anger.

She didn't get a chance to talk to anybody that night, so she got up early the next day. Russetpaw looked over to see their new leader giving a very prepared speech to a few of his previous followers. She was about to try and find her brother, when she felt a heavy weight barrel into her, knocking her hard onto her back with a great thud. She found herself staring up at the sky before her brother's face forced its way into her view. He looked distraught, almost panicked.

"Did you hear about the new changes the leader is making? He's making new apprentices younger than six moons, he's organizing raids on other clans, he's forcing elders to hunt and fight or become rogues, he's-"

"Riverpaw!" Russetpaw's words came breathlessly. "I can't breath!"

Riverpaw's eyes widened. He stuttered an apology and jumped off of her, allowing her to roll onto her paws. He crouched down and curled his tail around his paws, making himself look like a silvery stone.

"Okay," she said after she had gained her breath back. "Now, what were you going on about?"

He shot into a standing position, tail straight in the air. "He wants to go to the moonstone tonight," he said.

"What?"

"He doesn't care if Starclan will accept him, he wants to get started as soon as he possibly can," he said nervously. He lowered his voice to the diminishing group of Thunderclan cats listening to the leader couldn't hear. "And h-he wants me to take him, and to not tell anybody, but I had to tell you because you might know what to do-"

Russetpaw had stopped watching his brother, but instead was looking around the camp. She scanned the clearing, until her eyes landed on the elder's den. "I think I might..." she said, cutting off her brother again. She left him standing there with a confused look on his face, and went into the elder's den.

"Heatherstar?" she asked the darkness. There was no reply, so she ventured further into the den, sniffing out the spot where the former leader was sleeping. Russetpaw nudged her to wake her up, barely noticing an odd smell embedded in her fur, but there was no movement. She nudged her again, but harder this time. Still nothing. Russetpaw pressed her paw into Heatherstar's fur and felt a dreaded coldness within her. She gasped and stepped back, squishing a heavily scented berry in the process. She inhaled the scent and her eyes widened. "Deathberries..." she mumbled.

She took another step backwards and suddenly felt dizzy. Heatherstar would never intentionally take them...would she? No, she had to have been poisoned. If she were alive, she wouldn't stand for the changes Tornbelly was making to the clan. She absolutely wouldn't.

But, who had poisoned her? Just as Russetpaw was about to turn to leave to den, which was now laced thickly with the smell of death, she heard a low voice behind her say menacingly clear:

"You will tell no one you saw this."


	4. Jumpfoot's Jumpy

Jumpfoot was always skittish.

He was scared, and hesitant, and never wanted to cause any trouble, but he was overall the jumpiest cat anyone had met. Even a leaf brushing his leg would make him shriek. He was always teased and harassed because of it. His mother would always say, "You must have been a rabbit in another life, for it would explain most of the things you do."

He didn't like being the way he was. It wasn't just about being scared, it also meant he hated fighting. He wasn't a good warrior, nor did he think it was right he ever became one. He often spent his time alone, wondering if he'd be stuck with apprentice duties forever or if he should try to leave the clans. But whenever he brought up his worries to his only friend, Shimmerpelt the medicine cat, he was always discouraged from such ideas.

"But I'm just weighing everyone down. I can't keep a straight face outside of camp, and I'm always picked on because I get scared easily…" he was saying to Shimmerpelt. She just sighed as she was organizing her stock of various berries and leaves.

"As I always say, it's just in your head," she told him firmly. "You'll come to realize there's a whole lot more out there that can help you as opposed to hurting you."

Jumpfoot hung his head. "I know, I know. I just wonder sometimes how I even made it to becoming a warrior."

The medicine cat shrugged. "That was up to our leader, and if he believed you were ready to be a warrior, then he must have known you were good for something." She flicked him with her fluffy tail. "Now, you should probably go. You can't hang around the medicine den all day."

He sighed, knowing she was right. "Alright," he said, turning around and leaving the cool and quiet den. He heard Shimmerpelt humming softly as she continued her idle work.

"Jumpfoot! There you are," the deputy, Lionbreeze, came running over to him, his golden fur shining in the little sun streaming from the trees overhead. "We need you on a patrol, we're one cat short and everyone else is out hunting!"

Jumpfoot sighed. _So, that means I'm the last cat they would have brought._ "Okay, I guess."

Lionbreeze's winning smile lit up. "Great! We're patrolling the Thunderclan border, and the patrol yesterday said they smelled a stale fox scent. Let's go!"

His gung ho attitude always sucked the energy out of Jumpfoot. As they left the camp with two other warriors, both of whom Jumpfoot never really spoke to, he wondered what he'd do if they really met a fox. He'd always hated being scared and fleeing instead of fighting.

What he didn't know was that his flighty nature would save his life.

And possibly the lives of others.

…

"This border has been renewed, but it looks like they keep moving further and further into our territory," Moleface, a small, pudgy warrior with missing teeth said spitefully. They were all standing on the border of Shadowclan and Thunderclan, inhaling all the wretched scents that made Jumpfoot nauseous.

Lionbreeze sighed. "It's alright, I'll speak with the leader about it. Now then, show me where they keep marking their territory."

Molepelt led Lionbreeze away, and Jumpfoot stood, his legs shaking. The smells were overwhelming, Thunderclan cats, squirrels and mice, all mixed with his own clan's scent. He sneezed and backed away from the border. What he hadn't realized at first was the faint smell of fox on the trees and rocks. But as he got further from the other clan, he realized it was getting stronger. He stopped, frozen in his tracks as the smell became stronger the more he took it in. But there was...something else. Almost like the scent of the nursery on a scalding day.

Out of curiosity and confusion, he followed the smell. It led him to a small opening at the base of a tree, and the scent hit him like a brick.

Milk.

It was the milk of a mother fox, and her cubs were no doubt in the tree opening.

He backed up, wheezing. There was a flash of red between the trees ahead, and without hesitation he took off bolting in the opposite direction. His legs carried him faster than they ever have before, and he found himself hurtling past the Thunderclan border.

Lionbreeze and Moleface were almost knocked over by Jumpfoot as he tore through the undergrowth. He barely had time to gasp, "Run! R-Run! Fox!" The warriors had almost no time to flee before the angry mother fox came running towards them. He didn't look back even when the Lionbreeze and Moleface were following him. The sound of extra footsteps only made his heart beat faster and his legs work quicker.

Before he knew it, they were at camp. The fox was nowhere to be seen, and the trio collapsed in exhaustion. Lionbreeze was the first to catch his breath and stand up. " _Thank_ you, Jumpfoot. I didn't even know the fox was there."

Jumpfoot was still catching his breath, so he only nodded and closed his eyes.

"We'll get a larger patrol to chase it off, and my _goodness_ , I didn't know you could run so fast!" the deputy said.

Jumpfoot finally stood up. "It...had a-a den," he breathed. "With c-cubs."

Lionbreeze smiled. "We'll take care of that, you did your part. Go rest, we'll have the foxes out by moon-high."

Jumpfoot dipped his head respectfully and gratefully before wandering over to the medicine den. Oh _boy_ , did he have a story for Shimmerpelt.


	5. Maplepaw's First Battle

Maplepaw was a fighter. She was feisty and snappy, and very quick to bite your head off. She always battled with her littermates and other apprentices, which was all she would ever do. She didn't want to play with moss or chase leaves around the camp, she wanted to sink her claws into actual skin, and feeling her adrenaline rushing. But as much as she trained and as much as she liked fighting, nothing could have prepared her for her first battle.

Nothing could have prepared her for her first loss.

Her mother was the only one who really understood her, and who was more than willing to feed into her passion. They play-fought often, usually ending in them curling up by a tree in camp and falling asleep. And for that reason, when her mother approached her as she sat on a large, flat stone one day, she felt herself grow excited.

"Hey, Olivetuft!" Maplepaw greeted her. Her mother brushed her with her muzzle in a greeting.

"Hello there," she said warmly. "I'm going hunting, would you like to come?"

Maplepaw nodded eagerly, albeit a bit disappointed. She would have wanted to battle train with her or her mentor, but hunting would have to do. "Sure!"

Olivetuft was a beautiful, warm grey she-cat with a fluffed out tail. She had scars along her haunches and under her belly, but none of it detracted from the allure she had. Her bright green eyes were always slitted and thoughtful, and she was one of the most caring cats in the clan. Maplepaw admired her more than anything, but her mother's way of peaceful dealings frustrated her sometimes. Still, she let the older cat lead her out of the camp.

The two of them talked and laughed for a while as they traveled the territory, and soon forgot they were actually supposed to be providing for their clan. They came across patches of snow from the receding leaf-bare, a long and cold time of the year that left half of them nearly starved. But soon, after tussling about in the snow for a small time, they realized that the rest of the warriors had yet to eat. Maplepaw remembered bringing the elders and queens food, but it had left the fresh-kill pile empty.

But just as they began looking for some birds or squirrels, something in the bushes behind them rustled. Maplepaw turned just in time to see a group of cats burst out from the prickly branches, snarling and baring their teeth. One of them caught Olivetuft by surprise as he barreled into her. Maplepaw quickly dug her claws into the ground and pushed off, barely dodging the swiping claws of a large black cat. There were six in total, Maplepaw counted, and four of them were at least twice her size.

She managed to dodge another attack before one from a smaller sandy cat caught her by the shoulder. She bit back a howl and flung herself onto him. They snarled and fought, twisting on the ground. Her adrenaline pumped through her veins, making her move faster and not feel the attacks that would likely scar later. Maplepaw couldn't even see Olivetuft as she wrestled one cat after the other. She didn't even stop to think who these cats were or why they were here, she was being driven on pure instinct.

That is, until she heard loud howling. Maplepaw almost froze, but the two snarling cats sending one handful of claws after another kept her preoccupied. What made her freeze was when the howling was suddenly cut off by a quiet squelch. Simultaneously, something hit her from behind, knocking her to the ground. She was winded, laying still as she tried to breath correctly. Almost at the same time, the cats she had been fighting tore off in different directions.

She was alone.

Maplepaw laid on the ground for what could have been hours, if not for the unchanging light in the sky. Finally, she turned herself over, suddenly feeling the aching pain of her injuries. She stumbled into a standing position and looked around, spotting her mother lying on the ground. She limped over to Olivetuft, still gasping for air.

And slowly, ever so slowly, did it dawn on her that her mother wasn't moving. She wasn't breathing either. Maplepaw hardly reacted. She just stared down at her mother's still body, trying not to gag from the overwhelming scent of the cats they had fought. Her eyes trailed over Olivetuft's body, over her fluffy fur that was now matted with blood.

Oh, how she had once loved fighting. She had been addicted to the feeling of adrenaline of their play fights, but after being in a real battle with unpredictable enemies, it dawned on her that maybe it wasn't the fighting that made it so enjoyable. Her mother always liked to make games out of fighting, but now…

She shook her head. She had to get the body back to camp, but she also had to warn the others. She gripped the bigger cat's scruff tightly and began to drag her towards camp. It nearly made her jump out of the skin when Olivetuft's body gave a weighted breath, almost sounding like a whimper. Maplepaw dropped her in surprise, was she still alive? On closer inspection, she still wasn't breathing.

Her body only made sound, because the sudden shift in movement caused the rest of the air to be pushed out of her lungs. Maplepaw's eyes watered at the lifeless look in her mother's once lively and warm eyes.

She sat down and cried.


End file.
